Gray Brechin

An author and lauded historical geographer, Dr. Gray Brechin’s inspiring presentation on the New Deal legacy, “Another World Was Possible” reminds those who have forgotten what government at its best can do to promote peace, education, and the common good.

Dr. Gray Brechin grew up in and witnessed firsthand the conversion of California’s Santa Clara Valley from carbon- to silicon-based life forms. Witnessing that change — along with a 1985 sojourn in Venice — imbued Brechin with a lasting concern for the environmental costs of perpetual and heedless urban growth.